Outlook-table.



F. B. KNAPP.

OUTLOOK TABLE.

APPLIOATIoN FILED 1330.19, 1911.

1,027,855, Patented May 28, 1912.

Wimax@ FREDERICK B. KNAPP, 0F DUXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS.

oUTLoox-TAaLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. n

Patented May 28,1912.

Application led December 19, 1911. Serial No. 666,821.

- To all whom, t may concern:

charge of a station.

-meets these requirements.

Be it known that I, FREDERICK B. KNAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at uxbury, in 'the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOutlook-Tables, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to means for assisting a forest superintendentor observer in locating fires quickly and accurately and in a manner soeasy of comprehension that a new recruit may be initiated on shortnotice. f The object of the invention is attained by the-aid of'a simplelocation finding device which may be termed an outlook table.

The invention consists i in the 4structure and in the combination ofparts embodying it for the purpose specified, substantially ashereinafter described and claimed.

For a full disclosure of the invention reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a planvof the out-looktable, with alidade and telescope attachment removed; Fig. 2 is adiametrical vertical section through the device of Fig. 1 taken 'in theplaneindicated'by the line 2-2 and showing alidade and telescope inplace; Figs. 3 and 5 are sectional views similar to that of Fig. 2showingl modifications of a part of' the device, only one half of thetable top beingr represented in cach instance.; and Fig. 4 is a likesectional view with simplest form of alidade.

In locating a forest lire from a lookout stat-ion it is essentialtoapproximate the distance as well as to determine the direction and todo all in a simple and quick manner sothat in times of frequent firessubstitutes or new recruits may be readily instructed and safelyentrusted with the The present invention As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ofthe drawings, a table having a top 10 and pedestal 11 is provided. Thistable may be of any suitable form and construction that will permit ofremoval from one position to another and yet be adapted for orientationand for fixing in place at any particular locality. Leveling screws suchas indicated at 12 in the base of the pedestal may be used for holdingthe table against displacement as well as for leveling.

Qn the table the look-out paraphernalia may be lnounted. of atopographic map 13, an azimuth scale 14, 'a panoramic map 15, and someconvenient form of alidade. An alidade (16) and telescope (17) combined.as indicated in Fig. 2 are preferred, though a string 18 and pins 19 and20 (see Fig. 4.) serve very well the purpose of an alidade; the pin 19being located` at the center of the map and the pin 20 being adapted forlocation at any desired point topographic map or of-the panoramic map,as desired. A topographic map, as 13, is made of the territory withinconvenient view of each look-out stat-ion having said station as itscenter, as indicated at L. S. (Fig. 1), and is preferably provided withmile circles. These circles are indicated by 1m. 2m., &c. At any desiredlocation upon the map or upon the table, though preferably aboutl theperiphery of the topographic map, the scale 14 graduated to degrees, andpreferably reading up to 360, is located and to it the direction offires sighted is referred.

The panoramic map 15 may or 'may not be used, though it is ofconsiderable service to an observer on taking up anew look-out station.Upon this map, as indicated in the drawings, the actual physicalfeatures are represented perspectively in their relative locations andin direct radial relationship with respect to their positions upon thetop ographic map 13. For'example, Mt. A 1n the panoramic map 15 is seenin radial alinelnent with Mt. A 1n topographic map 13, as

indicated by the radius 11:, andMts. D and E in the panoramic map l5arein radial alinement with said mountains represented upon inap 13. Thesimplest. and preferable plan for producing the maps is to form bothtogether, make a tracing thereof and fr om that take blue prints, asindicated in Figs. 1 and 2, so that t-he maps may be readily replacedwhen they become soiled or damaged. The scale 14 is preferably made apart of the blue print.

The combined alidade and telescope as used in a surveyors plane tableImay be adapted to the table and maps above described but a simplercombination of ahdade and telescope is preferred. Such slmple device maybe produced in various ways, one being exemplified in Fig. 2, whereinthe alidade 16 is pivoted at the center of the -table, with which thecenters of the maps This, preferably, consists I about the periphery ofthecoincide. The alidade has an extension beyond the pivot 21, and uponthe end of this extension the telescope 17 is pivoted for depression andelevation. At the under side of said extension a roller 22 may beprovided to support the weight of the telescope, said roller runningupon the map or table.

In sighting a ire through the telescope the alidade will point from thecenter of the map to the location of the fire and to the scction of thepanoramic map representing the location of the ire while along thealidade may be located, in radial alinement with the fire, the samesection of country. The observer can then by aid of the panoramic mapnote between what mountains and ridges the fire appears to be and byglancing along the alidade determine by the mile circles the distancethe fire is from his station. For instance, if the observer sees smokearising in the northwest, he swings the telescope mountaround and trainsthe telescope in that direction. He lnay determine that the fire is onthe near face of a mountain of considerable height. He looks at thepanoramic map and .observes that there is but one mountain of likeproportions in that radial line and that it is Mt. A.

Then by a glance at the to ographic ma he sees that Mt. A is 7.5 mi esdistant.l his distance helps him to'locate the warden or rangerstationed nearest to the fire and to him he telephones that smoke isvisible at 315 apparently on the near face of Mt. A, 7.5 miles distant.The warden by reference to his own map takes note of the relativelocation of the out-look sending the message and the direction anddistance given. He then lays his course accordinfrly.

Instead of using a combined telescope and alidade as just described, thedirection of a tire may be determined by sighting it over the head ofpin look map (Fig. 4) and the pin 20 moved into the radial line of view.The strino' 18 will then serve as an alidade to assist in nding thelocation of the fire upon the map. lf the panoramic map is omitted the"observer then judges the distance of the ire by its apparent locationrelative to the features of the topographic map under the alidade.

The panoramic map may be variously 19 at the center of the outjconstructed. It' may be flat, as j Figs. 1 and 2, or on an incline, asindicated in Fig. 4 at 23. It may be a contour map molded, as indicatedat 24, in Fig? 3, or it may be drawn on a vertical wall, as indicated'at 25, in Fig. 5. This wall may be transparent or not. If transparentthe distant fire may be viewed through it and the objects representedupon it may be made to cover the real objects in the distance.

Various modified forms of the apparatus aside from those above indicatedmay be adapted for the embodiment of the invention in question which isspecifically pointed out in the following claims.

1. The combination with a table, of a map adapted to be located thereonand provided with a circular scale graduated in degrees, and an alidadehaving sighting means and mounted upon said map and movable at will intoany radial position determined by id of the sighting means.

2. The combination of a topographic map,

a concentrically located circular scale graduated in degrees, apanoramic map, and means serving as an validade to establish radiallines across both maps, for the purpose set forth.

' 3. The combination with a circular topographic map, of an azimuthscale, and a panoramic map showing the prmcipal features of thetopographic map and so located with relation to the topographic map thatthe corresponding features of the two maps will be in radial alinement.

4., rI`he combination with a circular topographic map, of an azimuthscale, a panoramic map showing the principal features ofthe topographicmap and so located with relation to the topographic map that thecorresponding features of the two maps will be in radial aline-ment, andan alidade pivoted at the center of the azimuth scale and adapted toshow the radial relation between the corresponding features .of the twomaps and toindicate their azimuth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK B. KNAPP.

Titnesses THEoDoRE W. GLovER, SIDNEY C. SoULE.

indicated in

